33 Best Hotels in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Outside, this 1895 sea captain's home looks like many other historic houses on the Cape; inside is a surprisingly upscale boutique B&B appointed with reclaimed barn wood, leather furnishings, and two gallery rooms filled with fine art photography. Innkeepers Adrian and Xenia D'Ambrosi have created an adults-only haven featuring beautiful plants (Xenia is a garden designer) and excellent four-course breakfasts (Adrian is a chef who has worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten.)

Giving a generous nod to its name and its 19th-century heritage, this inn is full of nautical and historic touches: seaside artwork and furnishings, steeply pitched roof lines, wide-plank floors, antiques, and a good deal of painted furniture. Sleep with your windows open and you'll likely hear the waves of nearby Nauset Beach, a five-minute walk from the inn—have your morning repast inside the homey pine-paneled breakfast room, or outdoors on the stone patio.

With its graceful columns and welcoming front veranda, the regal Winstead Inn sits along a quiet street; many of the rooms have a view of the heated, outdoor saltwater pool, a real oasis with potted palms, fountains, and flowers. The inn has a second property 1½ miles away in Harwich Port, with 14 rooms on a private stretch of beach fronting Nantucket Sound. Inn guests have use of the beach amenities.